Early voting is underway, and usually I would have voted by now. I know that some people enjoy waiting in line on Election Day, but I prefer to vote early so the pesky political texts and emails stop. But for this election cycle, I purposely waited a bit longer than usual to vote because my daughter is turning 18.

In September, her high school held a voter registration event. Librarians from our public library—who are also volunteer deputy registrars (VDRs)—came to her school and registered eligible 17- and 18-year-olds. While public school principals are required to be VDRs, many schools bring in additional VDRs to assist in registering students.

To register to vote, you must:

• Be a United States citizen;
• Be a resident of the county in which the application for registration is made;
• Be at least 17 years and 10 months old (you must be 18 to vote);
• Not have been convicted of a felony or, if you have been convicted of a felony, have completed your sentence, probation, and parole; and
• Not have been declared by a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitated or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

My daughter was 17 years and 10 months old in September, so she was able to register in advance of turning 18.

She received her voter registration card in the mail about a week after registering, and then we waited. We used Vote411.org to select the people we would vote for and printed our sample ballots. Then, the day after her birthday, we met at a polling location to cast our ballots together. It was super-exciting to share this experience with my daughter!

As a teacher or public school parent or grandparent, please encourage all of the newly registered first-time voters in your lives to take the time to get to the polls. Help them understand the importance of voting with your words and see the importance of voting with your actions. While it’s too late for the Nov. 5 election, if your child or someone else you know has recently turned 18 or will be 18 before the May 3, 2025, election, they can register as soon as they are 17 and 10 months old so they are ready to vote on Election Day.